Sanitary attachment for faucets.



I o. E. KELLS, JR. ,SANITARY ATTACHMENT FOR FAUCETS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY'29, 1912.

1,080,562 Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

ll-lllllmllllllllllll Zzepfaas? CHARLES EDMUND KELLS, JR., OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

SANITARY ATTACHMENT FOR FAUCETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 9, .1913.

Application filed May 29, 1912. Serial No. 700,456.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, CHARLES EDMUND KELLs, J r., a citizen of the United States, re-

siding in New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sanitary Attachments for Faucets, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to sanitary attachments for faucets of the general kind shown in my U. S. Patent, No. 1,020,207 of Mar. 12, 1912. As explained in said patent ordinarily faucets are so constructed that they may extend. into an ordinary drinking glass, and thus when a public drinking cup or glass has been used a number of times there is a liability of the discharge end of the faucet being contaminated by germs. Such faucets may also be contaminated by the hands and lips of users who sometimes, in the absence of a suitable cup, glass or other such receptacle, place the hand over the mouth of the faucet and drink from the hand or from the faucet itself. This is of course unsanitary and repulsive. Further more, children will sometimes place a finger at the mouth of a faucet to cause the water to spread or issue in a narrow stream. In my before-mentioned patent these objections to ordinary faucets were largely overcome by providing a shield for the mouth or discharge end. of the faucet so constructed and arranged that a glass or other receptacle cannot be put close to the faucets mouth and the hand or lips of the user cannot be used to drink from in the manner above explained. The lower edge of the shield shown in said patent is scalloped and just above the edge a series of holes is formed so that water from the glass is prevented from backing up into the shield and coming in contact with the faucet. It was stated in such patent that the shield was preferably made of paper for the reason that paper was inexpensive and as it would easily collapse or get out of shape could not be conveniently used to drink from either by being forcibly detached from the faucet or by the hand of the user being applied to its lower edge.

I have found that the shield may to advantage be made of thin sheet metal and the corrugations or scallops at the lower end of the shield are advantageously made larger and sharp points or cutting edges are formed which will cut or render so uncomfortable the placing of the hand to drink from below the shield that such use is offectively avoided. I have now found that the attachment may be further improved by making the shield considerably longer than was heretofore contemplated. If the shield is made quite short, one can place his finger up into the shield and in contact with the discharge end of the faucet, but by making the shield of suitable length this can be avoided. I have also found that the attachment may be further improved by providing at the mouth of the faucet a restricted discharge opening bclow which is provided an opening of larger size through which the jet of water from the faucet passes without comingin contact with the walls of the opening. This lower opening can be made of such length and such width that while the jet of water does not come in contact with the walls thereof, the finger of the user cannot be made to come into contact with the end of the discharge orifice or in contact with any part touched by the water.

By my present improvement I provide a device which affords such complete protection that water may be drawn from the faucet without any possibility whatever of contamination.

In the accompanying drawings :F igure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section showing my improved sanitary attachinent applied to the faucet of a water cooler. Fig. 2 shows a transverse section on the line 22 of Fi 1. Fig. 3 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, showing a modified form of the attachment. Fig. 1 shows a transverse section on the line 4l4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, showing a further modification, and Fig. 0 shows a transverse section on the line 00 of Fig. 5.

teferring to Fig. 1, A indicates a part of a water cooler; B a faucet of ordinary construction; C'my improved shield, and D a drinking glass. The shield C is preferably made of sheet metal or of some such material which is stiff and will present a cutting edge or points. It is by preference frustum shaped and may be secured to the mouth of the faucet in the manner shown or in any other suitable way. It is preferably made of such length and such width that the hand or finger of a user cannot be inserted into it far enough to come in contact with the mouth of the faucet or with any part thereof which the water touches. As shown, the shield is formed at the top with an inwardly projecting flange 0 and the faucet carries a coupling F to which the shield is attachedv by means of a nut G screwed on to the threaded lower portion of the coupling. At its lower edge the shield is scalloped by forming relatively wide recesses 00 with intervening points 3 These may, if desired,

be beveled or sharpened in any suitable way. 5

If a drinking glass be lifted into contact with the shield and water rises in the glass above the lower edge of the shield it will; not rise to the mouth of the faucet but will flow out through the recesses m over the edge of the glass in the manner described. in my patent above mentioned. If one attempts to drink from the faucet by placing his hand beneath the shield the hand will be immediately pricked, out or rendered eX-5 tremely uncomfortable by the sharp pointsg or edges on the bottom of the shield, so; much so that drinking from the faucet in this way would be extremely unusual.

As an additional protection, I provide? means whereby water issulng from the;

faucet is prevented from coming in contact with the shield or with any part of the device which could by any possibility be contaminated in any way. For this purpose I provide a restricted opening II at the mouth f of the faucet through which the water issues in a relatively small stream or et and I cause this jet or stream of water to pass through a larger opening I made of such size that the jet of water can pass through it; without coming in contact with the walls thereof and said opening is made of such; length and of such width that it will be impossible for a finger to be inserted so far.

into it as to come in contact with any part:

touched by the water. These openings may be made in various ways. As shown in Fig.

l the opening II is made through the coupling F and the opening I is also formed in the coupling F. The opening H is made of such length vertically that the water is made to issue in a jet or stream and will be prevented from spreading.

In Fig. 3, the coupling F is threaded at f and screws on to threaded end of the faucet I). It is provided with a flange to which i the shield C is securely fastened in any suit I Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

able way. In this case I have shown a plurality of openings H and also a plurality of recesses or openings I to provide for a more plentiful supply of water than would be afforded by a single jet.

In Figs. 5 and 6, I have shown the coupling F secured to the threaded end of the faucet B, and in this case I have shown the opening H made oblong (Fig. 6), the opening or recess I being of such dimensions that a finger cannot be inserted so far into it as to come in contact with the upper wall there of. The shield effectively prevents water from rising up to the discharge part of the faucet. Even if the shield should in any way be detached from the coupling some protection is still afforded. It would still be impossible for one to place his finger in contact with any part touched by the water.

It is of course my purpose to so securely attach the shield that it cannot be withdrawn from the faucet.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of a faucet and a sanitary shield adapted to be attached to the mouth thereof and to surround the water flowing therefrom made of stiff rigid material and having openings or recesses at its lower edge with intervening sharp points or edges and the length of which between the lower edge of the mouth of the faucet and the bottom of the shield is considerably greater than the width of the shield at its lower edge, being thus so shaped that the hand or finger of the user cannot be inserted so far into it as to come in contact with the mouth of the faucet.

2. A faucet having at its mouth a closure provided with a'restricted opening through which a jet of water passes and which is CHARLES EDMUND KELLS, JR.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL I-I. MCAFEE, J os. J. CAPPEL. 

